Annealing cover



g- 17, 1954 G. D. STOUGH 2,686,664

ANNEALING COVER INVENTOR.

FG 2 GERALD D.STOUGH ZZW v AMA,

ATTOR N EYS A 1954 1 G. STOUGH 2,686,664

. KNNEALING COVER Filed June 4, 1951 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

GERALD usmusu BY ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 17, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE' ANNEALING COVER Gerald D. Stough, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Whitehead & Kales Company, River Rouge, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application June 4, 1951, Serial No. 229,845

8 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to an annealing cover.

In annealing steel the practice is to provide a movable platform provided with a suitable sealing material such as sand, above which are supported the sheets of steel to be annealed. The annealing cover generally comprises an enclosure having side walls, a top wall, and an open bottom. The cover is placed over the steel to be annealed with the bottom edges of the cover embedded in the sand or other sealing material, so as to provide a substantially sealed enclosure for the steel. A common practice is to carry out the annealing in a controlled atmosphere. The

assembly is then moved into an annealing oven and is brought up to an annealing temperature as for example, about 1450 degrees Fahrenheit.

In the past considerable difficulty has been encountered in properly supporting the top of the annealing cover. This cover may be several feet wide and many feet long so that it tends to sag considerably, particularly when subjected to heat. The usual steel employed in making annealing covers loses a large part of its strength when it is heated to 1450 degrees Fahrenheit. Repeated use of annealing covers as known to the prior art, resulted in structural damage to the parts due to continued heating and cooling and presumably was largely traceable to strains set up by unequal expansion of the parts.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an annealing cover characterized by improved means for supporting the top wall of the cover.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an annealing cover characterized by the provision of a plurality of elongated supporting members spanning the annealing cover directly below the top wall thereof, in position to support the top wall against sagging, the supporting members being slidably related to the top wall of the annealing cover.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an annealing cover in which opposite side walls thereof are provided with inwardly facing opposed pairs of sockets and elongated supporting members having their ends slidably received in the sockets, the upper surface of the elongated members being disposed directly beneath the lower surface of the top wall of the annealing cover in position to support the same.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an annealing cover comprising elongated supporting trusses for the top wall carried independently of the top wall directly beneath the same to support the top wall against sagging. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an annealing cover comprising a plurality of top supporting trusses formed of a material adapted to retain substantial strength under annealing temperatures.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an annealing cover comprising top supporting trusses spanning a pair of opposed side walls directly beneath the top of the cover in which the ends of the trusses are supported by sockets in which the ends are slidable.

It. is a further object of the present invention to provide an annealing cover including top supporting trusses which may be salvaged when the annealing cover is expended.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of an annealing cover constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged section on the: line 55, Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modified form of truss.

Referring now to the drawings the annealing cover comprises side walls It and I2, and end walls l4. As seen in Figures 1 and 2:, the side and end walls are preferably formed of corrugated sheet material such for example as mild steel and are inclined inwardly and upwardly at a small angle. The annealing cover includes a top wall [6 also formed of mild steel and this wall is preferably formed of flat sheet material. The edges of the side and end portions are interconnected by Welding and the edge portions of the top H5 are welded to the top edges of the side and end walls I0, l2, and 14. Thus there is provided an enclosing cover which is air tight and which is adapted to keep atmosphere from steel products being annealed when the annealing cover is used as conventional in the art.

Efforts to reinforce the top wall [6 from sagging have proved unsatisfactory in past constructions and in general annealing covers have been relatively short lived since stresses set up by unequal expansion, and by sagging of the top wall of the cover, have destroyed the sealing capacity of the annealing cover.

' socket members.

"in opposed pairs at-opposite sides of the annealing In accordance with the present invention novel means are provided for supporting the top wall it and these means are supported entirely independently of the top wall so as to have relative sliding motion with respect thereto when unequal expansion or contraction takes place. Specifically, the top supporting means comprises trusses indicated generally at 2%, herein shown as having reduced end portions 22 receivable in stirrups or socket supports 24.

Referring now to Figures 3, i, and 5, the detail support for the truss members will be described. On the inner surface of the side walls in there are provided flat plates 25 which are welded, as indicated at 28, to the inner surface of theside' walls as best illustrated in Figure 3. Generally U-shaped brackets 31! are in turn-.Welddto the inner surfaces of the plates 26 with the upper ends of the brackets engaging the under surface of the top wall it. Preferably, the top edges of the brackets 353 are also welded to the underside of the top wall i 6. Thus; the brackets 36 cooperate with the plates 26 and the top wall- It to provide open These members are provided the lower-strip 34' is a transverse web 42. The

dimensions of the bracket 30 are such that the reduced end of the truss 2E] fits freely therein, sufiicient clearance being provided so that the ends of the trussesare freely slidable in the sockets or stirrups provided by the brackets 3G. The

parts--areso dimensioned that the upper surface of the strip-32 is directly beneath the under surface oi-the top wall it, in position to engage the wall and support it against sagging, particularly when the top wall is subjected to the relatively hightemperatures prevailing in the annealing furnace.

Intermediate the side walls it and 12 of the i annealing cover, there are'provided abutments 44 which are welded or otherwise secured to the underside of the top Wall [E of the annealing cover. As best seen in, Figure 5, the abutments 44 may be constituted by short sections of angle iron, one :legof which is welded to the under surface of the top Wall i t. The depending legs'of the angle iron are spaced apart to provide a small amount of clearance with respect to the upper strip 32 --of the truss so that relative sliding may take place between thetop wall It and the strip 32 as the parts expand or contract unequally upon heating and cooling. The abutments 45 have the function of preventing-bowing or transverse curvature of the trusses 20.

In Figure 6 there is illustrated a modified form of truss comprising an upper member 50, a lower member 52, and diagonally extending brace sections 54. Again, the ends of the truss shown in Figure 6 are reduced as indicated generally at 55 for'slidable reception in sockets of the type previouslydescribed.

For best results the'top supporting trusses 26 are formed of a material adapted to retain a large part of its strength when heated to 1450 degrees Fahrenheit. For this purpose stainless steel is found to be entirely satisfactory. However, other less expensive materials are also suitable for this-purpose.

A consideration of the drawings will of course- 4. make it apparent that the trusses 20 are sup ported independently of the top so that each element of each truss is relatively slidable with respect to portions of the top directly adjacent thereto. Thus unequal expansion between the truss and top wall It sets up no stresses tending to damage or weaken the structure. Moreover,

since the 'reduce'd end portions 22. of: the trusses are slidable in the so'ckets'"24" there may be very substantial diiferences in expansion and contraction between the annealing cover as a whole and the top supportin trusses 2!] without subjecting the parts to stress.

it will beappreciated that it is not strictly necessary to obtain the advantages of the present construction to have both ends of the trusses slidable, since-.istresses will be avoided even though one end. of the truss is permanently and rigidly secured to its supporting socket or the adjacent wall structure. However, it is convenient to supportbc'th ends of the trusses withthesamecon- "bracket members 3ll when these members are welded orotherwise secured totheplates 26' and the top wall I 6. Thus,- the truss is not removable from the annealing cover during: its useful lifetime. However, it is found that the top and side walls ofthe annealing over. deteriorate after extended usage. At this time the trusses 20 remain in perfectlyusable condition and accordingly .the

present construction makes itpossible to. salvage the trusses by-simply removinguthe brackets: 30 so'that the trusses maybe-incorporated in additional annealing covers.

While thebrackets' 36 have been illustrated 'and described aswelded-both to the top edge portions of the sidewalls it and IZJandthe underside of the edge portions of the top wall it,

it'willof course lee-appreciated that the brackets 39 could be securedto the'side walls it and i2 independently of-the top wall it, or they could be-secured to'the underside of the top wall 16 independently of theside walls It andlii. The

essential factor is that the supporting trusses shall be supported so that they are throughout their length 'slidable'relative to the adjacent under surfaceof the top wall it. Thus, any tendency for the annealing cover to destroy itself as a result ofunequal expansion and contraction between parts rigidly secured together, is completely avoided.

The'drawings and theforegoing specification constitute a description'of the 'improvedannealing" cover insuch 'full, clear, concise and exact terms as-to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the-invention, the-scope of which is indicated 'by the appended claims.

What I claimas'my invention is: 1. An annealing cover comprising side walls,

' meanscarried'by anopposed pair of sidewalls adjacent the top thereof cooperating with said opposed-pair of sidewalls to define inwardly open sockets, an'elongated top-supporting rigid truss member having its ends slidably positioned-in said sockets, and a top-wall secured'at its edges v to the top edges of said side walls, said member "means comprising spaced abutments at opposite sides of-soid truss member carriedby the underside of said top wall longitudinally slidable engageable with the sides of said truss member.

3. A cover as defined in claim 1, said truss member being formed of a metal capable of retaining substantial strength when heated to about 1450 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. A cover as defined in claim 1, said truss member being formed of stainless steel.

5. An annealing cover comprising side walls and a top wall interconnected at their edges, U- shaped brackets located at the juncture between the top edges of said side walls and the side edges of said top wall rigidly secured to one of said walls and forming inwardly open sockets, said brackets being arranged in pairs, top-supporting rigid truss members having their ends slidably supported in said sockets and having upper topsupporting surfaces slidably engageable with the under surface of said top wall.

6. A cover as defined in claim 5, said truss being formed of a metal capable of retaining substantial strength when heated to about 1450 degrees Fahrenheit.

7. A cover as defined in claim 5, said brackets being welded to the top edge portions of said side walls and to the side edge portions of said top walls.

8. An annealing cover comprising Wall structure generally including vertical side Walls and a flat horizontal top wall rigidly secured at opposite edges to the top edges of said side walls, an elongated top-supporting rigid truss member disposed directly beneath said top wall in slidable supporting relation thereto, truss support means at opposite ends of said truss member secured to said wall structure adjacent the intersection of said side and top walls, said truss support means being constructed to provide rigid support for the adjacent ends of said truss member against vertical movement and at least one of said truss support means being constructed to provide for relative movement between said one truss support means and the adjacent end of said truss member in a direction longitudinal of said truss member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 895,415 Bennett Aug. 11, 1908 915,259 Wiliong Mar. 16, 1909 1,778,798 Fisher Oct. 21, 1930 1,781,517 McKeoWn Nov. 11, 1930 1,969,312 Nacomber Aug. 7, 1934 2,021,480 Davidson Nov. 19, 1935 2,063,603 Hunter et al. Dec. 8, 1936 2,152,138 Fletcher et al Mar. 28, 1939 

